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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163135">in his arms</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tealady19/pseuds/tealady19'>tealady19</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday Fluff, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Established Relationship, Hair Washing, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Post-War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:22:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tealady19/pseuds/tealady19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the morning of his twenty-third birthday, and Keith is <em>exhausted.</em></p>
<p>But Shiro is always there with exactly what he needs to be happy - Keith couldn't ask for anything more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>in his arms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>What better way to celebrate the boy's birthday than with a self-indulgent pampering fic?  Keith deserves every soft thing ❤️</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s the sound of the kettle that wakes him, whistling quietly in the kitchen. The door to their room is closed but Keith’s sensitive ears still hear the muffled sounds travelling through. It’s not as keen as if he were full Galra, but on any given day Keith can pick out the sound of the space wolf stealing treats from three rooms away.</p>
<p>Usually the kettle and the promise of tea would be enough to rouse him out of bed and into the kitchen, even just to watch Shiro’s strong arms and shoulders as he carefully pours water and steep leaves. Shiro can be something of a disaster in the kitchen when unsupervised or distracted - but he makes tea with dedication and reverence.</p>
<p>Today, though, Keith’s head stays on the pillow and he struggles to even open his eyes more than a crack. Atlas is orbiting a star and the blinds are most of the way closed to keep Keith from being to disturbed by the too-bright light. His hands lay listless on the bed near the pillow, not even enough strength to rub the sleep from his eyes.</p>
<p>It’s the morning of his twenty-third birthday and Keith is <em>exhausted.</em></p>
<p>He’d rushed through his last mission with the Blades so he could come home and spend his birthday with Shiro instead of being forced to chat through lagging videocalls on the flight back. Keith had dragged himself aboard the Atlas and straight into bed fairly late last night, Shiro already asleep in their bed. He hadn’t even bothered to shower, just stripped off his suit and tossed it in the direction of the hamper and slid in under the sheets. He’d meant to snuggle up to the large, warm body of his boyfriend but Keith had passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.</p>
<p>He must drift off again because the next thing he notices is a hand carding through his hair, greasy and lank from too long without a wash. He hums out a soft sigh, arching just a little into the wide palm.</p>
<p>Shiro huffs a laugh where he’s perched on the edge of the bed beside him. “Hey, baby. There you are.”</p>
<p>He’s ringed in soft light when Keith manages to peel his eyelids open, grey eyes gazing fondly down at him. The back of Shiro’s hand brushes stray hairs from Keith’s forehead as he smiles helplessly back up.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he replies, voice groggy and raspy. If anything, Shiro’s heart-eyed look grows more intense at the sound. Keith knows that his gravelly voice does things to Shiro, even if he can’t quite believe it’s possible sometimes. He can almost watch his boyfriend swoon in real time.</p>
<p>“Happy birthday,” Shiro whispers in a besotted voice, leaning down to brush his nose against Keith’s in a gentle bunny kiss that makes him smile. He captures his lips in the next moment, the kiss soft and slow.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Keith whispers back when they break apart. His mouth opens on a yawn before he can get any more words out, and Shiro just smiles down at him. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”</p>
<p>Shiro rubs a soothing hand up his arm. “You really sped through that mission, huh. You didn’t have to.”</p>
<p>“I wanted to be with you today,” Keith mumbles, forcing himself to turn onto his back and blink up at the gorgeous man in his bed. Shiro hasn’t stopped touching him since he woke up, and Keith is relishing each one. “It’s worth being tired.”</p>
<p>Shiro hums, doesn’t quite look like he believes him, but Keith is very serious. It might be his first birthday in a relationship with Shiro, but they’ve been celebrating as many birthdays as they can together for years. The few that they missed make Keith’s heart hurt to think about, but they’re making up for them now. Shiro pets down his side and Keith knows he agrees.</p>
<p>He didn’t come up with any plans for the day, knowing he’d be fresh off a mission and potentially too tired to do much. Shiro had mentioned some ideas in the last few weeks but they hadn’t solidified anything on purpose. Keith’s thankful for that now, since he hadn’t quite anticipated the exact scope of his exhaustion.</p>
<p>“I made tea,” Shiro starts, and Keith’s heart lurches when he remembers hearing the kettle. It’s probably long gone cold by now.</p>
<p>But then Shiro continues: “I ended up drinking it all when I realised you were still asleep. And the breakfast surprise is keeping warm in the oven for when you’re ready. I’ll make more tea for you then.”</p>
<p>Keith grabs Shiro's hand, burying his face in his boyfriend’s wide palm. He loves this ridiculous man. “You drank both cups of tea?”</p>
<p>“I’m really awake,” Shiro laughs brightly.</p>
<p>Keith groans and rolls over, pushing his face into the pillow in an attempt not to laugh back. “Give me some of that awake, I can’t find any.”</p>
<p>“Mmm, nope, it’s all mine. So I’m gonna use it to watch you sleep in this big bed, since you’re so cute right now.”</p>
<p>Keith’s kittenish growl makes Shiro coo even more. He slides his hands up and over the sore muscles of Keith’s shoulders, digging out some of the tension he’d accumulated in his time away.</p>
<p>The feeling makes him groan for an entirely different reason. Shiro’s so good with his hands.</p>
<p>The massage lasts a few minutes but Shiro makes a soft noise when he brushes Keith’s hair out of the way of his neck.</p>
<p>Keith snorts softly. “It’s bad, I know. Need to wash it. Probably smell worse.”</p>
<p>“I love how you smell, baby.”</p>
<p>Keith turns an incredulous look over his shoulder. “You can’t be serious.”</p>
<p>Shiro has the audacity to look perfectly innocent. “Your manly sweaty scent does it for me every time,” he says with an entirely straight face.</p>
<p>Keith barks out a startled laugh and finds the strength to throw one arm back at him. “No it doesn’t!”</p>
<p>“I think you’ll find it does!” Shiro buries his face in the side of Keith’s neck, inhaling deeply and blowing a raspberry on the soft skin behind his ear. Keith shrieks, voice high and giggly and sounding far more awake than he actually is. He feels Shiro’s smile on his skin and finds his own uncontrollable. Shiro gets another good whiff of him before he sits back up.</p>
<p>“Delicious,” he decides.</p>
<p><em>“No,”</em> Keith counters, but he’s still laughing. Shiro looks too smug and Keith is always weak for that expression. “I need to take a bath, I’m gross.”</p>
<p>Shiro pats him on the hip. “If that’s what the birthday boy wants,” he says, getting up. He holds out his arms. “Come on, I'll carry you there.”</p>
<p>Keith pushes himself over and wrinkles his nose. “I didn’t hurt myself on that mission, Shiro. I can walk just fine.”</p>
<p>“Of course you can walk,” Shiro laughs. “But it’s your birthday and you get special transportation rights - so I’d like to carry you if you want.”</p>
<p><em>Oh.</em> Keith considers this for a few moments and then thrusts both arms up in Shiro’s direction. “Yes, please.”</p>
<p>It makes Shiro laugh again. Keith’s heart is so full with how happy he looks, just the two of them at home, being excessively sappy and domestic. Keith doesn’t know how he got so lucky.</p>
<p>Shiro’s hands slide under him and he curls his arms around Shiro’s strong neck. The shoulder under Keith’s head is muscular and firm, Keith’s second-favourite pillow. Maybe Shiro will let him rest on his chest later, and Keith can have his first-favourite as well. He gets one good handful of pec before Shiro snorts and twists out of his grasp. Complaints about how it’s Keith’s birthday don’t seem to get anywhere and Shiro insists on getting them to the bathroom without any hallway groping.</p>
<p>Keith is deposited on the bathroom counter when they arrive, towels and toothbrushes pushed to the side. They’ve been living together long enough now that this is not the first time Keith has been put up here, and it definitely won’t be the last. He watches as Shiro grabs the sturdy shower stool out from its alcove beside the tub, setting it down on the floor for himself. He lines up soap and shampoo along the tub’s edge and then gets the water running.</p>
<p>Atlas has a bad habit of diverting hot water and other essentials when she thinks her captain and favourite paladin need it. Once, the entirety of deck 16 had no water pressure at all because Atlas had directed it all to the jacuzzi jets in Shiro’s tub. While those jets had been extremely pleasurable in the moment, the public apology Shiro had to issue to the crew the next morning had been far less so.</p>
<p>Shiro doesn’t seem to have any qualms about stealing someone else’s hot water today, since he turns the taps on until they’re steaming - Keith’s preferred shower temperature. Soaking in an extra-hot bath sounds exquisite, and the way Shiro’s setting everything else up in a way that makes it look like he’s also going to wash Keith’s hair has him biting his lip. Shiro is too good to him.</p>
<p>Shiro disagrees when Keith tells him this, and then he picks him up off the counter and deposits him into the steaming bathwater. It’s exactly as glorious as Keith was expecting, and the long groan he lets out as his head rests back against the rim of the tub has Shiro chuffing out a soft laugh.</p>
<p>“Feels good?”</p>
<p>Keith sighs as Shiro cups water over his head, closing his eyes as it runs in warm rivulets through his hair. His scalp tingles with the heat. <em>“Shiro.”</em></p>
<p>Shiro hums, kissing behind his ear. His nails scratch through the baby hairs on the other side of his nape. “Let me wash your hair?”</p>
<p>Keith turns his head to kiss him. “You’re pampering me.”</p>
<p>“It’s your birthday. I wanna make you feel good.” Shiro pulls back a little, enough for Keith to look him in the eye. He’s so sincere. “I only ever want you to feel good, Keith.”</p>
<p>Keith has never been able to say no to Shiro.</p>
<p>He arches back into strong fingers massaging shampoo into his roots and leans forward when Shiro needs to work the lather down to the ends of his hair. He works in slow, methodical circles until Keith is boneless over his own knees.</p>
<p>Shiro takes his time, massaging both his hair and the muscles in his back. The heat of the water warms the metal of the prosthetic until it’s slightly warmer than Shiro’s left - Keith knows the sounds he makes when Shiro presses it to his back and his neck are borderline obscene, but Shiro shivers, and then presses harder.</p>
<p>It’s one of the most pleasurable, simple things they've done. Their difference in preferred shower temperatures usually has them bathing separately, Shiro unable to stand the heat of Keith’s showers and Keith shivering in the moderate warmth Shiro likes. This, though. Maybe Keith could get used to a cooler temperature if he’ll have the opportunity to sit with Shiro in a bath. Especially if all those muscles are wet and on display.</p>
<p>Keith dozes as Shiro washes him, daydreaming of getting his hands on Shiro in the same way, of exactly how nicely his pecs and abs would look soaped up under Keith’s hands. It’s a <em>very</em> good daydream. Maybe Keith will ask for that as a birthday present later.</p>
<p>Now, though, Shiro is rinsing the shampoo from his hair, his hand cupped over Keith’s forehead to keep the soapy water from getting in his eyes. There’s a deep rumble in his chest at how careful Shiro is with him. Keith lets it up his throat until the purr can be heard clearly in the bathroom.</p>
<p>Shiro leans down to kiss his clean temple. “I love it when you do that, baby.”</p>
<p>Keith leans back into him for a moment, and then pulls away. He’s ready to get out of the bath and back into his boyfriend's arms. The water is cooling and the bed is calling.</p>
<p>Shiro reaches for one of the huge bath sheets Atlas keeps in stock, sized for larger species - both Keith and Shiro enjoy the luxury of being wrapped up in so much fabric. Keith hefts himself to his feet and steps carefully out of the tub into the circle of Shiro’s arms. Shiro rubs him down, humming softly. It’s a tune Shiro hums often when he’s in a good mood, something from his childhood, Keith thinks. He’s heard Shiro’s mom hum the same thing a few times in the past.</p>
<p>“Let me carry you back?” Shiro asks once he’s towelled off to both of their satisfaction. Keith laughs and shakes his head.</p>
<p>“One more time. Once I wake up again I’m doing my own walking.” He lets Shiro bundle him up in the bath sheet and heft him up. He won’t always admit it, but the feeling of being carried safe and secure in Shiro’s arms is addictive.</p>
<p>They lie back down on the bed, bath sheet discarded on the floor beside them for future Keith to deal with. Present Keith luxuriates in the feeling of his boyfriend’s soft tee shirt under his cheek and the thick thigh between Keith’s own. This is the best way to relax.</p>
<p>“Comfy?” Shiro asks, his voice sweet as he carefully blots some of the remaining water from Keith’s hair. His shirt will probably be damp by the time they get up, but then Keith will get to ask him to put on that burgundy sweater that stretches over his shoulders just right - it is his birthday after all.</p>
<p>“Definitely,” Keith replies, stretching out his legs and touching his toes to Shiro’s. He hasn’t put any clothes back on, but Keith is still warm from the bath and Shiro certainly doesn’t seem to mind.</p>
<p>Maybe later they’ll get up and go see their friends and Keith will try his best to wake up a little and act like a person, but right now he’s snuggled up into his boyfriend’s chest with Shiro’s hand tracing aimless patterns on his bare back. Keith’s fingers knead contentedly in his pecs as his purr starts up again in his chest. His eyes close as Shiro brushes a kiss to the crown of his head, and he lets himself drift.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on twitter!  <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thimblee">thimblee</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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